The New World is one of the historical names that Europeans used to call the American continent since the end of the 15th century after the discovery of America in 1492. The financing of European governments promoted the study of new scientific subjects, such as astronomy. . Thanks to his study, the various problems that occurred during colonial crossings were improved. So much so that they began to take the brightest stars in the sky to determine the course to follow in the middle of the ocean.
In the beginning, as a means of orientation, navigators used the nearest coast as a reference point . When America was discovered, longer sea voyages became necessary, and the coast ceased to be a viable point of reference. As an alternative, navigators chose to acquire the constellations as a reference point. In this way, the shipping industry was pushed into an unprecedented phase of development. Constellations are groups of stars that are linked by imaginary ties that form a unique and recognizable silhouette. According to the International Astronomical Union there are 88 recognized, but these are the most followed by navigators in ancient times.
The stars as orientation for travelers
In the early world the brightest stars and constellations served as orientation for travellers. Their names, in many cases, come from myths and today technology allows us to know their history through the best astronomy programs. The constellations have served as a point of reference and orientation for navigators, both in the northern and southern hemispheres, desert walkers, as well as tools for preparing agricultural and religious calendars. These are the most used:
Great Bear
Undoubtedly the most used constellation to locate the north. Homer already mentioned it in the Odyssey, eight centuries before Christ, which he also called the Chariot, a name by which we still know it today. Each civilization has designated it in its own way and mythological beliefs over the years.
Little Bear
Although only visible in the northern hemisphere, it has also been a very recurring constellation for navigators. Its best known star is the Pole Star . Being in the prolongation of the Earth’s axis, its position is fixed and its task is to indicate the geographic North Pole.
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
Taurus
It is formed by the Pleiades , a star cluster religiously rooted in all cultures on the planet. Some of the brightest stars that make up the Taurus constellation are Aldebaran, Alnath, and the Crab Nebula.
Orion
A constellation with high visibility in both hemispheres and also known as The Hunter or The Cathedral of the Sky. In the northern hemisphere we can observe it during winter and in the southern hemisphere in summer. The brightest stars are Betelgeuse and Rigel, the first associated with Osiris in Egyptian mythology.
Orion Constellation
Leo
The fifth constellation that navigators followed is Leo, largely because of its easily visible bright star Regulus, which is 240 times more luminous than the Sun itself .